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Is the balloon about to go bust over a helium shortage?

Helium is used as a coolant for the large magnets inside MRI scanners – the important devices that provide detailed internal images for medical diagnoses. Helium is a rare, noble gas. But helium is also used in balloons. Will we run out of helium because we carelessly use it for a frivolous purpose?

The thing is there’s a confusion here between the current extraction infrastructure and the total amount of the element available to us.

It is absolutely true that prices are currently tight. That parts of the current production system are closed down and thus supplies are lower than usual. However, this is not the same as stating that we’re actually running out of the stuff.

The helium used in medical application needs to be pure. The stuff put into balloons is recycled from these medical applications according to the BBC piece above. Since helium is also derived from natural gas extraction, and that is INCREASING in the U.S., this might also be a source for the rare gas.